Hawaii ecosystems have suffered from the introduction of non-native species in a more profound way than many other places. Due to the long time period and the distance the islands lay isolated from the nearest land masses, species arrived and evolved into unique assemblages of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth and occupying a relatively small space. Land use and resource extraction have had unintended effects of introducing non-native species, degrading habitats, or in some cases removing habitats altogether. In the Olaa-Kilauea partnership area, the primary threat to the habitat is non-native hooved animals (ungulates) such as feral pigs. The partnership has targeted one of the best remaining areas of forest habitat in the state for protection and restoration despite the widely diverse land management mandates of the individual partners (eg., the National Park and the State Correctional Facility). This habitat is being cooperatively restored on a landscape level across ownership boundaries, with the ecosystem in mind. Management and research are currently focused on removing or reducing impacts from feral animals, alien plants and non-native predators; restoring native habitat and endangered species; and providing work training to Kulani Correctional Facility inmates.

The partnership has grown from tens of thousands acres to hundreds of thousands acres (420,000 acres).The growth of the partnership in both acres and in additional partners is a testimony to the success of each successive project building trust and relationships along the way.So far, the partnership is responsible for 9,800 acres of fenced areas that are now free of ungulates and that represent some of the best forest habitat in Hawaii providing essential habitat for 29 rare and endangered birds and plants. The partnership is controlling ungulates in another 4,300 acres of fenced units and fencing another 15,000 acres, after which ungulate control will commence.In addition, these protected areas are immediately adjacent to an additional 26,000 acres of managed National Park and State lands.Kulani Correctional Facility staff and inmates built a greenhouse to propagate and outplant native plants for landscape restoration of partnership lands. The partnership has worked to reintroduce five endangered plant species into the wild after hooved animals were removed, four species of which are experiencing high survival rates.

Innovation/Highlight

The partnership uses inmate labor to build fences and conduct other conservation activities. This provides inmates with training and education that helps bridge their return from incarceration to society, and it provides the partnership with a small but reliable work force helping to protect Hawaii’s unique habitats. Inmates learn how to construct fences and how important fences are for protecting Hawaii’s ecosystems from ungulates. Inmates also work in a native plant nursery at the Correctional Facility learning important propagation techniques and producing native plants and outplanting them to restore the partnership area.